1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for performing process hazard analysis and more particularly relates to a software application and databases implementable on a computer system for performing process hazard analysis of a process plant or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a process 10 is schematically illustrated. Typical, the process 10 may have thousands of pieces of equipment 12, such as valves, vessels, pumps, pressure chambers, relief valves, etc. The equipment 12 is interconnected by piping 14. Each piece of equipment 12 can have several operating parameters, safeguards, overpressure scenarios, or the like.
A Distributive Control System (DCS) 16 is typically used with the process 10. The DCS 16 may automatically control some aspects of the process 10 and may require operators to take action on other aspects of the process 10. The DCS 16 has a plurality of instruments 18 that are positioned in the field, measure process variables, and are wired to the DCS 16. The instruments 18 may be associated with the equipment 12 of the process 10. However, not all pieces of equipment 12 have instruments 18 associated with them. The instruments 18 can be flow indicators, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, etc. The DCS 16 typically has instrument tags assigned for each instrument 18. The instruments tags are numbers identifying the instruments 18 in the process 10. Portions of the process 10, which can include instruments 18 and/or equipment 12, are often referred to as nodes 13 of the process 10.
An Engineering Information Management (EIM) framework 20 is also typically used with the process 10. The EIM framework 20 includes a plurality of external applications 21 and a plurality of databases 22-26, which store process information on a computer or network. The external applications 21 can include a pressure management application, an alarm response analysis application, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Access, or other industry specific software, such as Meridium. The external databases 22-26 of process information created by these external applications 21 include an equipment database 22, safe operating limit database 23, drawing index database 24, Pressure Protection Manager® (PPM®) database 25, and alarm response analysis (ARA) database 26. In the process industry, there is no standard structure for such databases 22-26, and the databases 22-26 can have a variety of different information depending on the process or particular implementation.
The various databases 22-26 of the EIM framework 20 are discussed below. The equipment database 22, which can be created in Lotus Notes, includes details about equipment 12 used in the process 10. For example, the equipment database 22 typically includes an equipment number or tag and a description of the equipment 12 of the process 10. The equipment tag can identify a specific piece of equipment 12 or can provide the functional location of the piece of equipment 12 in the process 10. Furthermore, the equipment database 22 can contain information pertinent to Process Safety Information (PSI) and can contain the source of the PSI information with linked documents.
The safe operating limit (SOL) database 23, which can be created in Lotus Notes or Microsoft Access, includes details of safe operating limits associated with the equipment 12 of the process 10, such as pressures, temperatures, levels, flow rates, compositions, etc. Furthermore, the SOL database 23 identifies the tags of the instruments 18 used to measure the operating limits of the process equipment 12.
The drawing database 24, which can be created in Lotus Notes, includes details of the drawings of the process. The drawing database 24 typically includes numbers, revision dates, and descriptions or titles of the drawings of the process 10.
The PPM database 25 is created by a Pressure Protection Manager® (PPM®) application disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,372, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The PPM database 25 stores information on overpressures caused by equipment 12 and pressure relief devices used in the process 10.
The ARA database 26 can be created in Lotus Notes, for example. The ARA database 26 includes details on alarms for the process 10. The alarms are safeguards for monitoring the process 10. The alarms are defined by tag numbers and can include set points, priorities, required operator response, safety shutdowns, and other information.
Plant safety and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) §1910.119(e)(1) require that a process hazard analysis be periodically performed on processes, such as process 10. The process hazard analysis identifies potential hazards of the process 10 and ensures that adequate safeguards and corrective actions exist for the potential hazards. To analyze the hazards of the process 10, an analysis team uses information from the various databases 22-26 of the EIM framework 20. Considering the magnitude of information on the process 10 and the calculations required, analyzing the process 10 and maintaining its integrity can be extremely difficult using traditional methods of paper, computerized data sheets, and manpower.
Software packages for performing process hazard analysis (PHA) are known in the art. Typical PHA software packages are primarily tools for documenting a hazard analysis. Examples of PHA software packages include PHA Works from Primatech, DNV Pro from DNV, and PHA-Pro® from Dyadem. Existing PHA software packages require the analysis team to input pertinent information about the process 10 directly into free text fields of the software. However, the required process information is typically not easily accessible to the analysis team as it is typically stored in the various databases 22-26, or in other control systems, binders, manuals, and other locations. Accordingly, the team analyzing the process 10 may have to make a number of assumptions about information on the process 10 due to the lack of automation and organization of the process information. For example, the analysis team may assume an alarm is associated with a particular node 13 of the process 10. However, the team may assign the alarm in error because the DCS 16 may actually have the alarm for the instrument 18 disabled. Such errors can lead to improper assessments of the hazards of the process 10. To ensure that a proper alarm is assigned to a point of the process 10, the team may have to contact the control room of the DCS 16 to verify if a particular node 13 has an associated alarm. Such labor-intensive fact finding of process information considerably slows down the analysis. In addition, process information that is not readily available and that must be directly entered into text fields increases the chances of producing errors.
The subject matter of the present disclosure is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.